The present invention relates a passenger airbag, which is filled with gas during an emergency situation such as, for example, a frontal or side impact.
In certain applications of inflatable vehicle airbags, it may be necessary or desirable to control gas flow between portions of the airbag interior during airbag inflation and/or while a vehicle passenger is in contact with the inflated airbag. This flow control may be achieved using a valve mechanism positioned and structured to regulate gas flow between the airbag interior portions. The valve mechanism may be structured to permit gas to flow freely into all portions of the airbag during inflation, while restricting gas backflow in a direction opposite the inflation flow direction. Many existing valve designs have been found have excessively long reaction times in response to changing pressure differentials. Existing designs may also be difficult to fabricate and/or ineffective at restricting gas backflow to the degree required. Thus, an ongoing need exists for flow restriction valve designs with rapid response times, to prevent excessive gas loss from portions of an inflated airbag during a collision event